Snuffer and ejector combination



Jan. 2, 1968 c. HUTHMACHER 3,361,140

SNUFFER AND EJECTOR COMBINATION Filed Nov. 12, 1965 IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,361,140 SNUFFER AND EJECTOR COMBINATION Lester C. Huthmacher, Goodsprings, Nev. (R0. Box 74, Shoshone, Calif. 92384) Filed Nov. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 507,333 6 Claims. (Cl. 131-256) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combination cigarette snufier and ejector comprising a standard fixed to a support, such as an ashtray. The standard has a slot with outwardly diverging jaws at its upper end for receiving a cigarette to be snuffer on said jaws. An ejector is pivotably mounted between the sides of the slot for disposing the snuffed cigarette in the ashtray. The ejector has an enlarged lower portion and a lever extending from the lower portion outwardly of the slot. The lower portion has an outer edge cooperating with one side edge of the lever to form a V-shaped seat for receiving the snuffed cigarette and upon pivotable movement, ejecting it.

This invention relates to combination snuifers and ejectors for cigarettes and the like.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of combinations of the kind indicated which are designed to effect the snufiing and ejecting of cigarettes from the snutfing means, in a substantially continuous single, easily and quickly performed motion.

Another object of the invention is the provision of combinations of the character indicated above, which involve a single moving part, pivoted on a standard and related to convergent snufiing jaws on the standard, the single moving part being the ejector, and both the ejector and the standard being capable of being made of single pieces of material, as well as the pivoting means.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an ashtray incorpOrating a combination of the present invention, showing its ejector in a retracted position;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, central vertical section, taken on the line 2--2 of FIGURE 1, showing the ejector in retracted position, in full lines, and in operated position, in phantom lines, relative to a cigarette snuifed between the jaws of the combination;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section, taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, showing another form of combination, associated with an ashtray;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section, taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a further form of combination of the invention; and,

FIGURE 7 is an edge elevation of FIGURE 6, showing the combination thereof mounted on a support.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and first to FIG- URES 1 to 3 thereof, an ashtray T, serving as a support, is equipped with a combination 10 of the present invention, upstanding from the bottom wall 12 of the tray.

The combination 10 comprises a standard 14, here shown as being generally cylindrical in form, which is integrally formed, of the material of the bottom wall 12 of the ashtray, in the forming operation by means of which the ashtray is produced. The standard 14 is formed therethrough with a transverse vertical slot 16, which opens to the upper end of the standard. The upper end 18 of the standard, as here shown, can be transversely rounded, as indicated at 20, in the interest of conservation of material, or in the interest of providing a finished, decorative appearance, and/0r clearance for the operation of the ejector 22.

At the upper end of the slot 16, the: sides of the slot are formed to provide opposed coextensive, downwardly converging cigarette end snuifing jaws 24. The slot 16 being narrower than the diameter of a cigarette C, and its lighted end E, downward insertion of the end B, between the jaws 24, effects snufllng of the cigarette.

The ejector 22 is in the form of a flat plate, of substantially the thickness of the space between the sides of the slot 16, and is made of any suitable combustion resisting material, such as plastic or metal. The ejector 22 comprises an inverted, generally isosceles triangular lower portion 26, having downwardly convergent side edges 23, which merge, at their lower ends, into an arcuate apex 30. The lower portion 26 has an upper edge, corresponding to the base side of the triangle, from the center of which rises an upstanding lever 32. The upper edge of the lower portion 26 has, at opposite sides of the lever 32, similarly outwardly and downwardly angled edges 34, and the side edges 36, of the lever preferably tapered upwardly, to a rounded upper end 38.

The pivot means for the ejector 22 comprises a central bore 40, formed through the lower portion 26, of the ejector, which is aligned with opposed transverse blind bores 42, formed in the sides of the slot 16, of the standard 14, at a location below the midheight point of the slot 16 and spaced upwardly from the bottom 44, of the slot; and a resilient and compressible rubber .pivot pin 46.

The pivot pin 46 is in the form of a relatively short cylinder 48 having rounded ends 50, which, in assembling the ejector 22 to the standard 14, is forced through the bore 40, of the ejector, so that its ends extend equally beyond the ejector. The ejector 22 is. then forced into the slot 16 so that the pivot pin 46 is compressed endwise, in the slot, and into the bore 40, until the pivot pin reaches the blind bores 42, and snaps thereinto. The ejector 22 is thereby pivotally centered in the standard 14, with its lever 32 extendingabove the upper end of the standard, and with the tips 52 of the wings 54, of the ejector extending out of the slot 16, at opposite sides of the standard.

To prepare the combination 10 for a snufiing and ejecting operation, the lever 32 is swung toward one side of the standard 14, as shown in full lines in FIGURE 2, so that the upper edge of one of the wings 54 and the adjacent side edge of the lever 32 form a V-shaped receiver 56. The lighted end E of a cigarette is then forced downwardly between the snufling jaws 24 and into and against the seat 56, so that the lighted end is crushed and extinguished. As this action is performed, a finger adjacent to those of the hand used to extinguish the cigarette, is used to pull or push the lever 32, across the standard, so that the adjacent side edge of the lever 32 acts to push and eject the cigarette out of the related side of the slot 16, into the ashtray T, in a substantially single and continuous motion. The ejection having been thus performed, the ejector 22 is thereby in a position, for the performance of another snufiing and ejecting operation, without further adjustment thereof, the next operation being done by swinging the lever 32 in the opposite direction. The ejector 22 is stopped, at the end of its ejection positions, by the engagement of the edges 28, with the bottom 44 of the slot 16, as shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURES 4 and 5 show another form of ashtray or other receptacle Ta, having a bottom wall 12a, on which is another form of combination 10a. The combination ltla has a standard 14 which, instead of being a solid cast or molded piece, is made of a bent fiat metal or plastic strip, providing a flat base portion 58, which is fixed t0 the receptacle bottom wall 12a, as by means of a rivet 60. The strip is return bent, as indicated at 82, at the ends of the base portion 58, to extend inwardly therealong, where the strip is bent upwardly to provide a pair of centered laterally spaced parallel upstanding vertical arms 64, which define the slot 16a therebetween. At their upper ends, the arms 64 are bent outwardly away from each other to provide downwardly converging snuffing jaws 24a.

An ejector 22a, similar to the ejector 22, of FIGURES 1 to 3, is positioned in the slot 16a, and is secured in pivoted relation to the standard 14a, as by means of a pivot bolt 46a extended through the arms 64, and through the bore 40a of the ejector.

The form of combination 1%, shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, is the same in construction as that shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, except that the base portion 58 is eliminated, in favor of an arcuate cross member 66, connecting the lower ends of the arms 64b, and that one of the arms 64b of the standard 14b is formed with an elongated extension 68, disposed in a generally horizontal position and extending laterally away from the upper end of the standard 14b. The combination b, of FIG- URES 6 and 7, is intended for convenience mounting, to any desired support, by means of the extension 68, as across the upper edge of an upstanding support S, and to be secured in place thereon, by any suitable means, such a clip 70.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a support, a standard fixed to the support, said standard having an upper end, said standard being formed with a slot extending to its upper end, the slot having sides formed with outwardly divergent snuffer jaws at the upper end of the standard, an ejector positioned in said slot, and means pivoting the ejector to swing crosswise of the standard between the sides of the slot, said ejector having a lower portion, a lever extending laterally from the center of said lower portion and reaching outwardly of the upper end of the standard, said lower portion having outer edges extending from opposite sides of the lever, one side of said lever and one of said outer edges forming a V-shaped seat cooperating with the snufiing jaws.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said standard comprises a strip bent intermediate its ends to define a base portion fixed to the support, and a pair of spaced arms defining said slot therebetween, the upper ends of the arms being bent away from each other to define said snufiing jaws.

3. The combination of claim 1, wherein said standard comprises a strip bent intermediate its ends to define a base portion fixed to the support, and a pair of spaced arms defining said slot therebetween, the upper ends ofthe arms being bent away from each other to define said snuffing jaws, said base being flat.

4. The combination of claim 1, wherein said standard comprises a strip bent intermediate its ends to define a base portion fixed to the support, and a pair of spaced arms defining said slot therebetween, the upper ends of the arms being bent away from each other to define said snufling jaws, said base being arcuate.

5. A combination of the character described, comprising a standard having an upper end, said standard being formed with a transverse slot opening to the sides of the standard and to the upper end of the standard, the sides of the slot adjacent to the upper end of the standard being formed with opposed upwardly diverging surfaces defining snufiing jaws, the sides of the slots being formed with aligned openings, an ejector positioned in the slot and having a lower portion, said lower portion being formed with a centered bore, a resilient and compressible pivot pin engaged in said bore and extending through opposite sides of said lower portion, said pivot pin having ends adapted to be compressed into the bore as the ejector is placed in the slot, said pivot pin ends being snapped into the openings in the slot sides, and a lever upstanding from said lower portion, said lower portion having at least one outer edge extending from one side of said lever, the one side of said lever and the outer edge of said lower portion forming a V-shaped seat cooperating with said snufiing jaws.

6. A combination of the character described, comprising a standard having an upper end, said standard being formed with a slot extending through its upper end, the slot being defined by sides formed with divergent snuffer jaws at the upper end of the standard, an ejector positioned in the slot, and means pivoting the ejector to swing crosswise of the standard between the sides of the slot, said ejector having a lower portion, an upstanding lever connected to said lower portion, said lower portion having at least one edge extending away from one edge of said lever, the one edge of said lever and the edge of said lower portion forming a V-shaped seat cooperating with said snuffing jaws.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,530,340 3/1925 Babb et al.

1,644,245 10/ 1927 Freeman 131235 2,068,999 l/1937 Tierney 131-235 2,297,919 10/1942 Scott 131235 2,561,829 7/1951 Thwing 131 235 2,597,320 5/ 1952 Hechtl.

2,682,877 7/1954 Harroun 13l256 2,940,457 6/1960 Hartwick 131237 X SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Assistant Examiner. 

